Andrew Sheng, Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong and a member of the UNEP Advisory Council on Sustainable Finance, is a former chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and is currently an adjunct professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. His latest book is From Asian to Global Financial Crisis.

Xiao Geng, President of the Hong Kong Institution for International Finance, is a professor at Peking University HSBC Business School and at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Business and Economics.

Trump was underwater until the Robert Mercer family brought in Steve Bannon to run the show. We are watching Bannon use Trump perfectly for his own purposes. Trump can't concentrate much longer than 5 minutes so tweeting is perfect. Bannon turned him loose to confuse the press and get them to follow Trump down many rabbit holes. Meanwhile Bannon and the Mercers are planning what will happen. They want to dismantle much of the government. Mercer and his daughter are part of the Koch network. Bannon loves the confusion Trump creates because it keeps the spotlight from him.
Meanwhile Putin and Trump are both talking of enhancing their nuclear stockpiles but neither is alarmed that the other wants to. Do we see an alliance coming and it would be the most dangerous alliance since Germany, Italy and Japan in the 30s.
I suspect Trump is heavily indebted to the Russians which is why we never saw his tax returns and I believe Putin has a lot of influence over him.

We here on "Maine Street USA" welcomed the leaks and anyone providing us w emails and the outright disregard towards our beloved Republic and good 'ol Ms.Hillary and Billy Boy who have been lining the coffers of the often reported corrupt Clinton Foundation! Trump's taxes...really? Let's see who might have a copy of her speeches to the Wall Street fellas and We shall never forget Benghazi!

Deceit and lack of transparency and the content of emails among the most corrupt at DNC - thanks "Uncle Vladimir" or whoever leaked any and every "doc" - deplorables she scorned us...We sent a clear message despite 2 billion US fiat dollars she thought would buy her the WH and a media so biased, so ignorant....

We may not like Uncle Vladimir's intent to reestablish the KGB Soviets and its economy nothing of a match for China or the US, however it is evident just how "corrupt" the beltway has become so We welcone Donald J.Trump! Bravo!

The DNC and its political party - "You're fired" and your fraudulent ways and your indifference to our nation as conveyed by your private server....well, good riddance!

Now to see Brussels downsize to a ten nation state w Karl Guttenberg to take the reigns from another failure- Merkel and the embrace of unvetted refugees to challenge the sovereign Germany- We doubt the nationalism of German people will allow Germany to be hoodwinked much longer....

Andrew Sheng and Xiao Geng believe Trump has fooled us all, saying he turns out to be smarter than we think. Despite the lack of political experience and intellect, Trump is streetwise. Due to his "cunning and showmanship" the authors call him an "ultimate Machiavellian prince." Really? Yes, during the campaign he urged Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's emails. His prayer was answered, and a trove of emails was released by the WikiLeaks. Instead of directing their outrage at state-sponsored hackers from Russia, many Americans were more put off by embarrassing details about the Democrats. Trump may have adopted some of Machiavelli's advice, but he is far from a real Machiavellian like Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping. Indeed, it will be interesting to see who trumps whom in the near future.
The authors make aware of Trump's campaign tactics and point out his effort to visit states "that many claimed were a waste of time." While Hillary Clinton won more popular votes and he amassed enough electoral votes to win the election. They believe Trump may continue to follow his gut feelings in office like the way he did during the campaign. Instead of holding press conference, he will take to his Twitter account and go to rallies. Indeed, he is not willing to take on intellectual challenges like reading briefings and reports. He would rather prefer "weighing in on" reality TV shows etc.
But Trump got himself elected in a highly controversial election, that isn't fraud-free. He has been propelled to victory with the help of Russia. He might make good on his campaign pledges by upending US engagements and treaties with overseas allies, engaging in trade war with US partners etc. And he has appointed a bunch of people to do the dirty job for him so that he can distant himself from mistakes and failures, while still being in his supporters' good books.
The authors suggest Trump's "affinity" for Putin may jusst be calculating. He would let Putin take care of the Middle East, and in his views as a businessman, geopolitical tensions could still have their advantages. Higher oil prices would benefit both Russia and the US, but harm Japan and China. And Putin could "put geographic pressure on China – and, indeed, the rest of Asia."
The authors say "how quickly Japan is sidling up to China." No, it's Russia that Japan seeks to strengthen ties with, Putin visited Shinzo Abe a few days ago. The authors also believe "Russia may be the force that finally spurs Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense." True, it has received a wakeup call from Obama earlier this year to beef up its security. But we don't know how Trump, Putin and Xi will get along. As they are all narcissists who need to find scapegoats abroad to distract their citizens from grievances, conflicts can't be excluded.
At home Trump might create jobs with his infrastructure project, which his Republican in Congress blocked during obama's terms of office, under the pretext it was too expensive. Trump will increase deficits as Ronald Reagan did in the 1980s. The authors need to wait and see whether Trump would be able to act "from a position to strength," if he doesn't collapse before. After all he is 70 and much hated. He would meet resistance every day that he might have enough before his term ends.

I again fail to agreeable grasp the mentioned economical correlations in this piece, because I lack the intuitive understanding of the terms that an economist acquired.

My comment's relation to this article lies in that a lot could go wrong and I prepared and want to offer something for the case that the global order needs repair: the theory I try myself on now indicates, that the period of subgroup liberation, however we fare and fall through it, would lead to excess liberation and boredom, which again would grow the case for best-for-all activity.
(There is some more detail in my account's updated bio. )

Unfortunately for all those supporting the spineless and biased Barack Hussein Obama and the ever so corrupt and inept good 'ol Ms. Hillary and the dirty laundry spewed by the Clinton Foundation, God Blessed this great Republic once again in history returning "law and order" to our nation w the election of Donald J. Trump!

"Trump may well manage to revive productivity and GDP growth enough to reduce America’s debt overhang in real terms" ... would also ask for substantial change in the structural role of the unprivileged part of its workforce. More likely, accentuated profligacy will widen national debt, and in the long run further depress US middle class income.

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